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No. 6|4,06|. Patented Nov. 8, I898.

c. s. SHARP.

. CURN HABVESTER.

(Application filed oc. 21. 1895.!

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(No Model.)

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No. .6l4, 06l. Patented Nov. sit 59a. c. s. SHARP.

CORN HABVESTEB.

(Application filad Oct. 21, lem Model 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. SHARP, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE D. M. OSBORNE & COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,061, dated November 8, 1898.

Application filed October 21, 1895. Serial No. 566,327. (No model.)

T0 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. SHARP, of Auburn, county of Cayuga, State of New York,ha-ve invented an Improvement in Corn- Harvesters, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to corn-harvesters of the type shown in my United States Patent No. 539,830, dated May 28, 1895, wherein the corn is gathered, out, fed rearward in upright position to an upright binder, and there formed into bundles and bound; and it has for its object to improve the construction of said machine in several respects, and more particularly to the end that the rearward movement of the corn and its delivery to the binder may be facilitated without liability of choking up the machine in front of the binder.

In accordance with this invention a laterally-confined passage-Way is provided, which extends from the cutter rearwardly to the binder, and the floor of said passage extends rearward and upward from the cutter to a point near the binder and rearward and downward for a short distance in front of the binder, and the rear part of said passage serves as a waiting-passage in front of the binder, which is provided for and adapted to receive the accumulating corn.

The binder which I prefer to employ is rearwardly inclined; but a rearwardly-incline binder is not of my invention.

Two sets of feeding devices are provided for feeding the severed corn rearward along the laterally-confined passage-way, one set acting upon the butts 0f the corn and the other set acting upon the stalks some distance above the butts, and herein the lower set or butt-feeding devices are extended rearward far enough to project into the waiting-pas sage and to terminate at the rear of the beginning of the declining portion of the floor of said passage-way.

The severed corn is fed continuously along the passage-way provided for it to the waitingpassage, and devices are provided which act upon the butts and tops of the corn in said waiting-passage, which have a rearward and a lateral movement relativeto the passageway, so as to engage, move rearward, and then disengage the corn in said waiting-passage, and by means of devices having such movement the corn in said waiting-passage is not positively crowded into the binder.

The waiting-passage is made larger at the top than at the bottom. Consequently the feeding device which acts upon the tops of the corn in said waiting-passage moves at a greater speed than the feeding device which acts upon the butts of the corn in said waiting-passage.

Figure 1 shows in plan view a corn-harvester provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the machine, taken on the dotted line y'y, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detail of the adjusting device provided for one of the rake-too thed feeding-plates, to be referred to.

The gatheringrarms, consisting of the upper inclined portions a b and lower horizontal portions arranged beneath them, are supported by the framework and adapted to form a more or less laterally-confined passage-way extending from the forward end of the machine rearwardly toward a binder of any suitable construction. A cutter d crosses this passage-way a suitable distance back of its forward end, which severs the corn that is gathered by the gathering-arms and which is presented to it.

The feeding devices herein shown for feeding the corn along the laterally-confined passage-way consist of an upper or stalk-feeding device a which comprises a pair of feedingchains moving in parallelism with the up-.

wardly-inclined portions a b, and a lower or butt-feeding device, which comprises a set of reciprocating toothed plates 0.

So much of the corn-harvester herein shown and which it appears necessary to refer to is substantially the same as in United States Patent No. 539,830, heretofore referred to, to which reference may be had.

The laterally-confined passage-way has a bottom or floor 0, extending rearward and upward from the cutter d to a point near the binder, and for a short distance in front of said binder said floor extends rearward and downward, as at m, and the corn rests on said floor as it is fed along the passage-way by the feeding devices. The rear part of said laterally-confined passage-way in front of the binder serves as a waiting-passage m for the corn, and said waiting-passage is made large enough to receive and hold the corn to await the action of the binder. Side strips or bars-such, for instance, as m m are located at the sides of the laterally-confined passage-way, along the rear part thereof.

The binder, which may be of any usual or suitable construction adapted to receive the corn and form it into bundles and then tie and discharge the bundles, is located at the rear of the machine, and, as herein shown, it is made to incline rearwardly from aperpendicular (see Fig. 2 1I.e., its operating-shafts inclining rearwardly-such construction or arrangement enabling the corn in front of the binder to occupy a truly vertical position, with more or less tendency toward rearward inclination, as shown at n, and thereby positively preventing it from leaning forward and by so doing obstructing the progress of the incoming corn.

The binder platform or deck to is or may be made to decline or slope rearwardly, as best shown in Fig. 2,and in such case the operating-shafts of the binder mechanism may be arranged at right angles to said rearwardly declining or sloping binder platform or deck w. By rearwardly inclining the'deck w the passage of the corn through the binder is very much facilitated.

The corn which is gathered and cut is fed along the laterally-confined passage-way by the stalk and butt feeding devices, being gradually elevated as it passes rearward, and it is discharged into or delivered to the waiting-passage m in front of the binder.

As the floor of the passage-way for a short distance in front of the binder rearwardly declines, the upright corn standing thereon is assisted in passing to the binder or moving within the sweep of the needle of the binder mechanism by gravity.

It is obvious that the rear part of the laterally-confined passage, which serves as a waiting-passage, may be employed in connection with a vertical binder, if desired.

The dotted line n represents a stalk of waiting corn, and the dotted lines a 92 represent the bundle which is being formed and tied.

The top of the waiting-passage is made larger than the bottom, it being represented as made longer to give more space for the top of the corn and obviate crowding at such part or portion of the passage.

The lower or butt-feeding devices are made to project rearwardly a short distance into the waiting-passage at the rear part of the laterally-confined passage-way to pack the butts of corn into said waiting-passage and move them beyond the beginning of the rearward-declining portion of the floor, so that they may be held in such a manner as to prevent the corn falling out or sliding forward.

Above the stalk-feeding devices or chains rake-toothed feeding-plates 0 are provided, beingloosely supported at the forward ends, as by passing freely through the loops 0, and at a point near the opposite ends they are adjustably connected by a bolt 0 to a slotted arm 0 pivotally connected to the end of a crank-arm 0 on one of the upright operatingshafts. A pair of such rake-toothed feedingplates are hereinshown, and they are movable inwardly or toward the corn-passage to engage the corn and assist the stalk-feeding chains in moving it along and then outwardly to disengage the corn.

As the crank-arms o are herein shown disposed on their operating shafts, the raketoothed feeding-plates operate alternately; but they may be otherwise operated. The adjustment provided for said rake-toothed feeding-plates is such as to enable them to be adjusted more or less toward and from the corn.

The lower or butt-feeding devices and raketoothed feeding plates and stalk feeding chains all act upon the severed stalks of corn in such manner as to continuously feed the corn rearward along the laterally-confined passage-Way to the waiting-passage, and at the beginning of said waiting-passage said stalk-feeding chains cease; but the butt-feeding devices and rake-toothed feeding-plates extend rearward beyond said feeding-chains and act upon the butts and tops of the corn in said waiting-passage,and as said butt-feeding devices and rake-toothed feeding-plates each have a rearward and a lateral movement relative to the waiting-passage they will engage, move rearward, and then disengage the corn, and consequently the corn will not be crowded into the binder as positively as if the stalk-feeding chains continued to the binder.

So far as the feeding devices are concerned it is immaterial whether the binder inclines rearwardly or is disposed vertically.

I claim 1. In a corn-harvester, the combination with the gathering devices and severing devices for the standing corn, upper and lower feeding devices for feeding the corn rearward in upright position, a rearwardly -inclined binder, a laterally-confined corn-passage extending from the cutter to the binder having a floor extending rearward and upward from the cutter to a point near the binder and ex tending rearward and downward for a short distance in front of the binder, the rear part of said corn-passage serving as a waiting-pas sage and the lower feeding device working rearward of the beginning of said declining portion of the floor,substantially as described.

2. In a corn-harvester, the combination of means for gathering and cutting standing corn, a binder, a laterally-confined passageway extending from the cutter to the binder, a waiting-passage for the corn provided at IIO the rear part of said passage-way in front of the binder, means for feeding the corncontinuously along the passage-way to said waiting-passage and devices acting upon the butts and tops of the corn insaid waiting-passage having a rearward and lateral movement relative to the passage-way, substantially as described.

3. In a corn-harvester, the combination of means for gathering and cutting standing corn, a binder at the rear of the machine, a laterally-confined feed-passage, a waitingpa'ssage in front of the binder made larger at the top than at the bottom, means for feeding the corn continuously along the passage-way to said waiting-passage and devices acting upon the butts and tops of the corn while in said waiting-passage having a rearward and alateral movement, the device acting upon the tops moving at a greater speed than the device acting upon the butts, substantially as described.

4. In a corn-harvester, the combination of gathering devices and severing devices for the standing corn, stalk and butt feeding devices for feeding it rearwardly toward the binder and a rake-toothed feeding-plate constructed substantially as described, located above and assisting the action of said stalkfeeding devices, slotted arm 0 to which it is adj ustably connected, crank-arm 0 to which said arm 0 is pivoted, and means for operating it, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES S. SHARP.

Witnesses:

W. H. HARRIS, W. O. J IRDINSTON. 

